Which surgery?!?!

Hi everyone! I'm new here and I'm in the process of all the pre-surgery insurance authorization craziness. I'm doing fine with everything, except...

I can't decide between getting rny and vsg! 

I'm diabetic so my surgeon is pushing rny. But I'm scared about the diet being so restrictive. But that's the whole point, right? I would love to get people's thoughts, opinions, and experiences! 

Also, I'm blogging about my journey on another site so pleas check out: laughingmyassoff.squarespace.com! 

Welcome!  You definitely should get everyone's personal opinion about their surgery.  Just remember that you want to pick the one that you feel the most right about since you will put the work into the surgery you have faith in.

I will tell you what went into my decision:

I am a sugar junkie, so the restrictive diet is good for me.  I am finding that it is not that restrictive.  So I can't eat a ton of sugar and bread.  That is why I am fat to begin with.  So that is good.  And if I do, I dump and it makes me never want to do it again.  To me, dumping syndrome is a PLUS.  

I like the malabsorptive nature, but I am coming from already having had weight loss surgery (the lap band) so I wanted the surgery that would give a 1-2 punch to my calorie restriction.  I like that I can only eat a little, and then only get a little of that little bit I eat.  The draw back to that is that I need lifelong supplements.  But I have taken vitamins since I was 8 every day so that is not difficult.

There is, if needed in extreme cir****tances, a way for it to be reversed.  That is a big deal for me, and one of the reasons I chose the lapband the first time.  

That is my personal journey.  Good luck in choosing!!!  And welcome to the board!

Thank you for replying and sharing your journey! I feel that the "1-2 punch" would be best for me in the long run, even though I'm undecided. 

I don't have the numbers at hand, but RNY has a much better track record at eliminating diabetes than VSG. 

Both procedures are similarly restrictive. Not everyone with an RNY "dumps" with sweets, so it's not something you can count on. Both surgeries will leave you with similar portion sizes.

I wrote about my decision in a blog post a few years ago. But everyone is different, and you can ultimately be successful with either surgery if you work at it!

Thank you for replying Julie! I'm definitely going to read your blog post tonight! 

hi, I am 4 years out from VSG and have lost 200 pounds. 

I was not a diabetic, but I did have high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. 

I never met a piece of chocolate that I didn't love, and pasta, steak and just about every unhealthy food! 

My medical doctor felt that I would do better with the VSG rather than the RNY. My sister had the RNY in 2003 , lost about 180 but gained 30 back. She still has problems with dumping. I had this initially but much less now, usually when I eat too fast. 

I am very happy with the sleeve, & am glad I followed my doctor's advice.  There were less complications after surgery, the normal digestive pathway has not been interrupted, except for a very small stomach. 

I think that each one of us will favor the procedure we each had, and we're successful with. Talk to as many people as you can find who had bariatric surgery, learn about the possible complications of each for both the immediate and long terms. 

Listen to the advice of your doctors, both your primary / medical doctor as well as the surgeon. This is NOT an easy fix, it is hard work.

But most of all listen to yourself and your feelings about each procedure.

good luck on your journey. 

Thank you so much for replying. Unfortunately, at only 31, I've got diabetes, high blood pressure, and PCOS. *Thanks genetics*! So, I am really looking forward to the lifestyle change and have been in the gym at least 3 times per week since January. 

I appreciate your advice and will definitely take everything into consideration! 

Also, congrats on your success! 

I had RNY and my husband had VSG, and our diets are pretty much identical. I'm not sure what you mean by the diet being "so restrictive" -- my plan's guidelines at every stage (including the "life-long dietary guidelines" stage) are the same for both procedures. The foods you possibly can't eat with RNY are the same foods you shouldn't eat after any type of WLS anyway.

I had my heart set on VSG for 3 years, but as my surgeon put it, "the two reasons we usually urge RNY over VSG are GERD and diabetes, and you have both." I've been off all diabetes meds since the day of surgery, and I haven't had a single GERD-related nausea spell since. I'm confident I made the right decision for me. My husband has minor reflux now after VSG (having never had it before), and he's also diabetic, but he's also completely confident he made the right decision for him. He's not off all his diabetes meds yet but is down to just 1000mg a day of metformin. He's always been a volume eater, so he though a restrictive procedure would be the perfect fit. He said he absolutely would have gone with RNY if he'd been insulin-dependent though.

When it comes down to it, any surgery is a tool, and as long as it's not broken, it'll work as long as you pick it up and use it. Good luck!

My bariatric dietitian was the one who mentioned that VSG patients are usually able to stomach a wider variety of foods without negative symptoms. 

But, as I mentioned in another reply, I'm 31 with diabetes, using Metformin and Glipizide, but not finding a mix that is keeping my A1C controlled. For that reason, I'm leaning toward RNY. 

Thank you so much for sharing you and your husband's story. Good luck to you as well! 

I agree that the diets are basically the same. I know my surgeon does not handout separate diets for VSG vs RNY... it is all the same. You may be able to tolerate more foods on VSG, but should you eat them?

Why I chose RNY? 1-I had a lot of weight to lose and felt more comfortable with the long term track record of RNY. 2- I had been on very restrictive diets long term and at this point in my life I wasn't losing significant amounts of weight even when I was doing the right thing. So I felt the malabsorption would give me the boost I needed. I wasn't confident restriction only would be enough. 3- I had a niece who had RNY and she had kept her weight off for 10 years. 4- I trusted my surgeon and that is what he suggested for me.

Good Luck deciding, I know it is not easy.